Tamia feels validated by Grammy nominations

She doesn’t do it all for the accolades, but singer Tamia said her two Grammy nominations do help validate her return to the music industry.

“It’s been, like, 16 years since my first Grammy nomination. For me it was just like a pat on the back,” Tamia told Sister 2 Sister on Wednesday at Essence magazine’s Women in Music event.

The “Beautiful Surprise” singer is nominated in two categories: Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song.

Though many musicians have big record labels and the full strength of their promotion departments to help spread the word about new projects, Tamia put out this project as an independent artist on her own label. She admitted it’s easy to feel overlooked as an independent.

“A lot of times you feel like you’re doing things that maybe people don’t see, so it was just nice,” she said about the Grammy nods. “To me, it said, ‘We’re watching you. We see you working hard. Congratulations.’”

While Tamia appreciates recognition from the Grammy organization, she said the gathering of music’s best also gives artists an opportunity to encourage one another. Jill Scott, Eric Benét, Estelle, Bilal and more also attended the Women In Music event, where Lianne La Havas and Solange Knowles were honored.

“I’m just excited to be here this weekend," Tamia gushed. "It’s a time of fun and getting a chance to see other artists that you know but you don’t get to spend a lot of time with and to celebrate each other as artists for our creativity and to say, ‘Good work.’”

Which artists are on Tamia’s playlist? Watch.

See Tamia, Solange Knowles, Jill Scott, Jennifer Williams, Sheree Fletcher, Tank and more on the Women in Music red carpet.